Leaving the Islands
by Jediempress
Summary: The next installment of the Unavoidable Truth series is finally here! It's time for Riku to prepare for departure to the next stage of his life. When the time comes, however, will he be alone? (Cloud/Riku)


Hello to those who have been waiting and those just discovering this series! No, it isn't dead, just stuck on the backburner as life gets in the way of fiction. Hopefully, it won't be nearly so long a wait for the next one-shot. Then I'll get to the last multi-chapter. Yay!

For those new, my profile lists the order of the Unavoidable Truth series.

Please enjoy, and again, only the story itself is mine, all else belongs to respective owners.

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><p><span>Leaving the Islands<span>

Riku did not attend graduation ceremonies, even though his friends had pushed for it, and Seiya had given him the big, teary, pleading eyes that always worked for Sora. She was not Sora. He went to his last day of class, received his final grades, and a congratulations from his guidance councilor, then left the school never to return.

He was glad he stuck it through, despite how much he would have liked to have just dropped out and been done with it. He could have left Destiny Islands months ago, been with Cloud that much sooner... However, a few months made little difference in the grand scheme of things. In a few more days, he'd be living on Radiant Garden and soon after, they'd be married.

"Riku!"

"In the bedroom, Sora!" Riku set his glass of water down, turning to continue filling his second box of books. There was still so much to do. He didn't know how he had accumulated this much stuff in a few months- without going to get things from his mother's house.

"Hey!" Sora greeted, bursting through the open door of his friend's bedroom. "How long you been at this?"

"About an hour." Riku closed the box flaps

Sora frowned, glancing around. From what he could tell, Riku had barely made a dent in packing. "Uh, you gonna be able to get all this done in three days?"

"I'm not taking a lot, Sor."

"Well, I didn't think you were, but... There's still a lot here."

"I know." Riku searched for the roll of packing tape. "I guess I'm not really feeling this today. Too much else going on."

"I guess," Sora agreed after a pause. "You going to Wakka's graduation party tonight?"

"Yeah, probably. No reason not to, ya know?" Outside of not being friends, or even associates, with most of Wakka's friends. "You and Kairi are going, right?"

"Yep. You won't be the only oddball in a sea of jocks."

"Ha."

Sora flopped down on Riku's bed. "Just remember, this is gonna be the last time you see these people."

"Pretty much." Riku wouldn't regret that fact. "Sorry you have another year with them."

"Eh, it's cool. They really aren't bad, we just got nothing in common." He didn't have much in common with anyone here. "Never was big on athletics."

"You would have rocked them if you did."

Sora lifted his head to give Riku a surprised look. "You think so?"

"Yeah. When something gets your interest, you keep at it until you master it. Even when most would give up, you don't." Riku smiled. "I admire the tenacity hidden behind the laziness."

"Darn, you've seen through the disguise." Sora turned away. "You've always known me best, Riku."

"That goes both ways, Sora." Riku decided he was done packing. Going to the bed, he fell beside Sora. "Have I said how strange it's gonna be not having you just a short walk away?"

"Heh, well, it'll be a call now." Which totally wasn't the same. "And it's not like we won't visit each other all the time."

"That won't change. It'll just be a little further to go."

Sora was quiet, listening to Riku breathing. "Hey, Riku?"

"Yeah?"

"...nothing." The brunet got up. "Come on. We can get at least three more boxes done before we have to go."

Riku also sat up, watching Sora clear the other side of the bed. Something was wrong. "Sora."

"I guess you don't really have to pack up everything." Sora counted the available boxes. "You got two more months of rent here, and your house won't be finished for a little while yet. Heh, I kinda feel bad for Leon."

"He knew what he was getting when he agreed to let us live there." Riku repositioned himself, legs crossed before him. "And it will only be a few months at most. Now, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You answered that too fast for me to believe you."

"It just-" Sora sighed. "It's just going to be weird without you here. You're moving on, and I'm just... here."

"Sor-"

"I mean," interrupted the other teenager. "I'm not upset or anything, not really. It's just... weird."

Riku waited a moment. "It's weird for me, too, Sora. My entire life is about to change, and I'm terrified, but excited. It's...a hard place to be."

"I guess after awhile it'll start feeling normal, huh?"

"Yeah, change always does."

The pair fell quiet, the air taking on an expectant pause. Riku took a long look around his room, seeing the familiar items in an unfamiliar room. It was only now becoming home, and he realized this was what it would look like at Leon's, and later in his own house.

His own house...

Riku slid off the bed. He stepped beside his friend, hand settling on Sora's shoulder. "One more year, and you'll be done with school. Then you can do anything."

"Yeah." Sora didn't sound certain about that. With a shake, the brunet grinned. "So, uh, you bringing your stereo? ...cause you know they have one already."

"Leon has one. Cloud doesn't really own anything..." Riku frowned. He hadn't considered that fact. When they moved into their own house, they would have next to nothing. "Maybe I do need to pack it all up."

Sora laughed, chucking a rolled up sock at him. "Or you could convince Cloud to buy all new stuff. I bet he's still got a load of munny from the Games and Tournaments."

"Actually," said Riku as he ducked the article of clothing. "I have no idea how much munny Cloud has. It never occurred to me to ask."

"I've heard that's a sign of true love."

"We could be homeless, and I'd still want to be at Cloud's side."

"Aww," cooed Sora, laughing. "Now stop being a sap. We got lots of boxes to pack."

-0-0-

"Oh, admit it, Riku. You had more fun than you expected." Kairi stepped around him and ended up between him and Sora. "You don't fool me."

"I'm not trying to fool you. It wasn't bad."

Sora's walk was more bouncy than his normal, a sign he had drunk just a bit too much of the alcohol-spiked punch. "It was way better than I thought. And no one said anything I had to kick their ass for."

"Wakka wouldn't have invited anyone who would." Riku stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Most of his friends are cool about me. Sucks that Tidus couldn't go."

"Yeah, well him and Selphie are trying to stay in their parents' good-graces so they can come to your wedding." Kairi tucked a bit of hair back. "There'll be plenty of other parties."

"Yeah! A whole year's worth..." Sora frowned for a second. "Hey! Either of you notice that cheerleader hanging around the mango tree? She was way hot."

"Um, no." Kairi chuckled. "But I did notice her boyfriend."

"Me too," added Riku. "He was way hot."

"She had a boyfriend?" Sora slumped. "Aw, man. It figures."

"Don't worry, Sora. Someday your princess will come. Or prince. Or dog-" Riku jumped away from Sora's attempted slap to his shoulder. "Hey, whatever you're into is cool. You don't have to be embarrassed."

"I don't want to know what you're into." Sora made a last swipe at him.

"You really don't."

Kairi shook her head, exasperated but amused. "Oh, you guys. I don't know what you're gonna do when you live world's apart."

"Be miserable." Riku laughed. There was a forced quality to it. "At least we'll always be a call away."

"Heh, yeah." Sora turned his face down. "Can't be rid of you if I tried."

"Heck no."

Kairi glanced between them, hearing and seeing what neither boy would say aloud.

"Well, he's where we part ways." Sora waved, continuing on to his home street. "See you guys tomorrow! Or later. Whatever."

"Bye." Kairi giggled. As Riku gave a little half-hearted wave, she grew serious. "He's really having a hard time with you leaving."

"I know." Riku stuffed his hands back into his pockets with a sigh. "But, he'll adjust, right? This is home for him, always has been. When we were out in the worlds, all he wanted was to find us and go home."

"I think so," said Kairi slowly.

They continued walking, quiet. At the gate to her house, Kairi hugged Riku. "I'll be over to help when Cloud gets here."

That was in two days... "Thanks."

-0-0-

Despite the hour, Sora knew his mom was still awake. Sometimes he wondered if she ever actually slept. He shut the front door carefully, hoping to not attract her attention. With light steps, he shuffled to his room.

Safely inside, he closed his door, falling against it for a moment. Though the night had been fun, the rest of the day... had been rough. Sora was excited for Riku. That didn't mean he wouldn't miss the hell out of him. The Islands wouldn't be the same without Riku.

"Sora?"

"Yeah, Mom. Sorry if I woke you."

Her voice was just outside the door. "You didn't. I don't sleep, remember?"

"Heh, confirmed that one," said Sora, moving forward and pulling off his neck chain. He hung the crown pendant on the corner of a shelf.

"Did you have fun?"

"Yeah." He really didn't want to talk to anyone right now. "I'm wiped, so I'm going to bed."

"All right, baby." Seiya paused. "You're going to have to talk to him before he leaves."

Sora froze. Talk to... How did she know?

"Good night, Sora."

He heard her step away, feet padding on the carpet. The old, worn, familiar carpet. His mom had said since he was little she hated the color, but there was never any money to replace it. There was nothing impressive to this house, yet it was his and always had been. He was comfortable here, having never lived anywhere else.

However...

Sora quickly headed for the door, throwing it open. Spotting his mother's retreating back, he darted into the hallway and catching up to her, he hugged her from behind. He felt like sobbing, for it was the only way to express what his heart was experiencing.

Seiya patted his arms, making a shushing sound. "I've been waiting for this."

"...huh?"

Gently moving his arms away, she turned toward him. "Let's talk, Sora. I'll make warm coconut crème."

-0-0-

"Hey, Sor." Riku greeted, surprised to see him at the post office. If he hadn't been in such a hurry, he would have grilled his friend to find out why.

Sora seemed to sense this for he grinned and changed direction to follow. "Hey. You finally putting in that hold?"

"Yeah, only kinda last minute. And I don't really have time now, but that's my fault."

"Where you going after this?"

"Last session with Jacen."

"Oh... Mind if I walk with you? I gotta talk to you about something."

"Uh, yeah, sure." Riku didn't have a clue why Sora felt the need to ask it, but whatever.

Sora fell into step beside him. He still didn't know what exactly he wanted to say, but maybe he could just start talking and it would come out okay. "So, uh, I had a talk with my mom last night."

"Please don't tell me she's backing out of feeding us Saturday. I already packed up the kitchen."

"No, no." Sora laughed at the panic on his friend's face. "We totally got that covered."

"Good. About gave me a heart attack."

"Heh, no, sorry. We didn't talk about you... Well, not directly."

Riku flicked his eyes toward Sora. "What does that mean?"

"We talked about you moving, and what I was gonna do after."

Riku almost stopped walking. That was something he had been concerned about. "Oh?"

"Yeah, you already know it's gonna be weird here without you." Sora made it sound dismissive. "Already dreading school next year."

"You'll be fine. Might even be one of the top guys without me there to overshadow you." It was meant to be a joke, but a second of thought made Riku realize how mean the words were. "Eh, that didn't sound right..."

"Heh, naw, I get it. You usually outshined me there." Sora cuffed him, grinning. "Anywhere else, and you're just average."

"I wish I was just average." Riku started walking again. "Sometimes I'd take below average."

"But only sometimes, right?"

"Eh, maybe less than that."

Sora laughed, effectively hiding his discomfort at the tone Riku had taken. "So, back to what I was trying to say... Mom and I were talking last night about when you leave and what would happen. What I was gonna do, and all that."

"And?" Riku asked softly.

"Well, I told her I wasn't sure yet, but... I don't know if the Islands are the right place for me."

The other teenager frowned, turning onto the street his therapist was located on. "What do you mean?"

"Just that. I'm here now, and I'm happy to be because it's home. It may not always be that, though." Sora shrugged, hands raising to lace his fingers together behind his head. "There's lots of worlds out there, yanno? Maybe one of those would fit me better."

"Yeah," agreed Riku. "I've... been noticing that you don't seem as comfortable here lately. I kinda thought it was just because of how much things were changing."

"Some is. I don't really know, but I'm gonna think on it."

"You should. Was your mom okay with that?"

Sora chuckled. "She's the one who got me to recognize it. I just thought it was separation anxiety."

"Oh. Yeah, sounds like her." Riku stopped before the little house that served as Jacen's offices. "You know, whatever happens, and whatever you choose, I'm right beside you, right?"

"No matter how far or near you are."

"Just remember that, Sora."

"I'll never forget it, Riku." Sora assured, kicking at his foot. "I'll see you tomorrow at your mom's house, yeah?"

"For sure." Riku turned up the walk. "I need someone to help me move that crap downstairs."

"Ha. Manual labor is all I'm good for. I see how it is."

"I have pina colata mix and ice cream."

"I'll be there at two."

-0-0-

Sora was nervous upon entering the house, but his heart was lighter than it had been in weeks. This was right, the best choice for him. Though his mother had been sad, she smiled, giving him the same advice he always gave.

Follow your heart.

"Riku!"

The older teen's voice drifted from upstairs. "I'm in Mother's room!"

Sora mounted the stairs, a frown pulling at his lips. So far as he knew, Riku hadn't set foot in his mother's room or her office since her disappearance. Of course, this was the first time in weeks that he had been in his childhood home.

"Hey," he greeted, stepping into the dusty room. "Whatcha doin'?"

Riku sat before the closet, several small bags and boxes surrounding him."Making decisions."

"About...?"

"If I said a lot of things, will you get mad?"

"Yes, cause that's too vague." Sora dropped down on the bed, coughing at a faint plume of dust.

Laughing, Riku replaced the lid on a shoe box. "I guess the biggest thing is what to do with this house. I said I wanted to sell it, but... I'm having second thoughts."

"I thought you and Cloud were buying the little place you're at now?"

"Why spend munny when I already own a place?" Riku placed both hands in his lap. "There's a lot of bad memories here, but lots of great ones, too. So, which do I hold onto? The answer to that will decide what I do."

Sora nodded. "Wish you could answer that, huh?"

"Yep."

"Me, too," said Sora quietly.

"..." Riku turned toward him, head tilting questioningly. Concern lit his teal eyes.

"I think... I don't belong here anymore, either." The brunet spoke carefully, as if he was explaining something extremely complicated. "The more I think about it, I realize that it isn't so much you leaving and moving on without me. It's you leaving and I can't follow when I want to go, too."

"Sora..."

"It's been okay, because I knew you felt uncomfortable here, too. Once you leave, I'll be on my own with that feeling..." Sora shrugged. "That's what's been nagging at me."

"I didn't know," whispered Riku, frowning. "I should have."

"Naw, because I didn't show it until lately. My mom noticed it, that how I figured it out."

"Is that what you and her talked about?"

"Yeah. And like I said, I've been thinking a lot on it."

Riku swiveled around so he could fully face him. "Decide anything?"

Sora took several seconds to reply. "I think... Maybe it's time I left, too. Don't know where I'd go, but..."

Riku's laugh was out-of-place for the moment. "Duh, Sor. You leave, and it's gonna be to Radiant Garden. There isn't anywhere else you'd be happy."

Sora considered, but only for a moment. Months ago, before Riku was engaged, Sora had the idea that Radiant Garden was the only place he felt truly comfortable. For as closed as Destiny Islands was, Radiant Garden was open to anything. It was the perfect place to start new.

He laughed, partly out of his own blindness. "Yeah, guess I would. I think I'd be cool there. Would have to be constantly kicking your ass if you get broody-" He rolled from Riku's swipe. "Well, someone has to!"

"I'm gonna be blissfully happy." He really liked the idea of his best friend moving with him. "But, I still don't know too many people. Everyone's Cloud's friend or you know them."

"Eh, that won't be true pretty quick." Sora shrugged. Riku made friends easily when he wanted to. "So, whatcha think? Should I stay or should I go?"

Riku was honest. "I don't know. That isn't something I can say, cause I'm not you. You gotta decide for yourself, just like I did."

Sora nodded, for he knew that would be the answer. "Probably need to do it fast, too, huh?"

"Well unless you expect me to come pick you and your stuff up while living in my newlywed bliss... Which I won't."

The brunet threw a dusty pillow at him. "Jerk."

"Ugh." Riku coughed a few times. "I think today's top priority is changing to airing out and dusting this place. It's just gonna get worse the more we dig around."

"Heh, yeah." Sora sat up. "The dust and cobwebs only make it creepier."

"I never thought this place creepy," noted Riku, looking around. There was absolutely nothing that personalized this bedroom, no pictures or trinkets. In the master bathroom, peeking from past the door, was his mother's perfume. He rarely remembered her wearing it, but no one else had anything that smelled remotely like it. He suddenly wondered if it had come from Gaia.

"Growing up it wasn't...Not really." Sora stood, wiping his clothes. "But it wasn't the friendliest house, either."

Riku shrugged for he had no argument for that. It had been his home and he didn't think it very friendly; his mother had made it that way. "I kinda wanna keep it just to see what I can do with it, you know? Decorate how I want and all that."

"So keep it. Cloud won't fuss, I don't think. I mean, he's willing to look into buying the other house so you have somewhere to stay here. This would be way cheaper."

"I'll talk to him tonight about it." Though Riku had all but made up his mind. "You focus on deciding what you want, Sora. Whatever it is, I always got your back."

"Ya always have." Sora grinned, for he had all but decided. "So, air this place out and start chucking crap of your mom's you don't want? That sounds cathartic..."

"It does." They were libel to find all kinds of things Riku probably didn't want to, especially in her office. Then again, Sephiroth may have already cleared things related to Project Jenova out. Only way to find out was to look.

-0-0-

Riku's embrace was tight with excitement and nerves. It was all finally happening, and he had a moment of terror born of change, but it quickly disappeared. His hold never loosened. "Ready to live with me full time?"

"I can only hope." Cloud's tone was teasing.

"I'm hoping I can deal with the two of you in my house for a few months," said Leon under his breath, passing the couple with a smirk on his lips. "Need to make your house a priority."

"You aren't going to do that." Sora grinned. It was much more nervous than Riku's had been. He wasn't sure Riku had gotten the chance to tell them-

"Did you get the whole house packed?" Cloud laughed, looking over the stacks of boxes. Each one was labeled in detail. "And I thought you were taking most of this to the other house."

"I am, but we may need some of this stuff on Radiant Garden."

Cloud turned back to Riku, amusement shining in his eyes. "We can afford to buy anything we need there, Riku. I'm far from broke."

"But not rich." And he knew houses were expensive.

"No, but it's enough."

Leon nudged Sora. "What's up?"

"Huh?" The teenage blinked. "What do you mean?"

"You're tense bordering on pensive." Leon rubbed his shoulder. "Still concerned about Riku leaving?"

"Oh, uh, kinda..." Sora shot Riku a quick look, not knowing what he had told Cloud. "But it's what he wants so it's okay. Sometimes, we all gotta do that."

"Sometimes," agreed Leon neutrally.

"Everyone deserves to be happy." Sora chuckled. "Even those broody two."

"I heard that, Sora."

"So? Deny it, Riku."

Cloud rubbed Riku's neck before he could answer. "Did you find anything for dinner or we going out?"

Riku leaned against him. Dinner wasn't for a few hours, but he supposed it was worth asking now. "Seiya has chicken and shrimp waiting. Feel like grilling?"

"Yeah, we can do that." He peeked in a box. "Guess we can get some of these to your mom's place before... It isn't far, right?"

Cloud had never been to Riku's childhood home, and it made Riku a bit uneasy. Though he and Sora hadn't come across anything alluding to Hojo and experiments, there were quite a few things they had no idea the origin of. Their theory was they had been brought from Midgar. "Yeah, a couple of blocks, and Kairi will be coming to help."

As if sensing his nerves, Cloud rubbed Riku's neck. Looking at Leon and Sora, he shrugged indifferently, hoping they took the hint. This wouldn't be as big a deal as Riku probably feared. If they got to it, they could likely be done today. "Let's get this junk out of here."

-0-0-

It took longer than Riku expected, but after several hours, they got the rental house completely cleared of his belongings, leaving only the furnishing that had been a part of it. The boxes and things staying with set in the rooms they would belong to to deal with at a later date. What was coming with was in a pile beside the door to be loaded up in the morning.

Kairi didn't linger, having a meeting at work she had to attend. Sora and Leon went into town to get a few things needed for dinner. Leon's accompaniment was likely due to wanting to give Cloud and Riku a bit of time alone. They took advantage, settling on the sofa in a hurried tangle of limbs, taking only as long as they needed to reveal in the pleasure of each other's bodies.

Since they would be staying the night in the house, Riku went to make sure his room was in good enough a state to sleep in. The bed needed the sheets he and Sora washed the day before put on, and there were boxes and bags scattered about. Three of those were open, hastily thrown together with odds and ends that Riku had been undecided on.

"It's a nice house, Riku." Cloud wandered the upstairs, glancing into the rooms. "It's not too...islandy."

Riku, making up his mind, sorted those boxes into two to stay and one to go with. With it's closing, the last of anything there he would want to take to Radiant Garden was packed. "Islandy? What counts as islandy?"

"Lots of wicker and floral prints."

"...I hate wicker." So had his mother. "Mom liked solid colors and clean lines."

Cloud paused outside a partially open door. He could just see a desk and several shelves of books. It had to have been Riku's mother's office. "Yeah. The décor and furniture are really similar to what you saw in Midgar."

"Is it?" Riku lifted the box to take it out. He spotted Cloud, peering into the office, and it unnerved him. "We almost never had people over, but it wasn't like anyone's house I had gone to."

"Well, the few homes I saw. I guess saying it's similar to what I saw in the Shinra Building would be more accurate."

"Oh."

Cloud turned toward him and away from the office. "That bothers you, doesn't it?"

"No- Yeah, but I know it's stupid. I mean, how else would she decorate?"

"I kind of appreciate that she didn't try to fit perfectly in. It shows she had some independent thought, and that, very obviously, was passed on to you."

"Heh, put that way, it sounds okay."

"It should be okay." Cloud stepped over, standing before Riku. "Is that why you've been so tense today? I got the feeling you really didn't want me out here."

Riku's sigh was soft. "I know all of...that, still bothers you. I figured you wouldn't want the reminder of what I am, or what you lost."

At Cloud's laugh, Riku looked up. "Riku, there is no what you are. I love you and every little detail that adds up to make you. Yeah, I worry sometimes, and that makes me an asshole, but it's because I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

"I guess I have trouble with that... Jacen said that the depression causes a lot of my anxiety." Which Riku would continue to work on controlling. "But, I know you do miss Gaia, even if you don't say so."

"Sometimes," admitted Cloud. "I doubt you considered this, but it might be good for me to have those reminders. I never hated Midgar. I didn't hate Nibelheim once I had some distance from it. Some of the fucked up mess I wish to everything good hadn't happened, and that's what taints my memories."

That was how Riku felt about Destiny Islands. He said he hated it here, but if that had been true, he wouldn't be struggling at all with leaving. He could excuse and justify all he wanted, but it always boiled down to this was home.

"So, don't worry about it, okay?"

Riku nodded. "Put that way, I won't anymore. If, if you wanted to poke around, see if there's anything you'd like to have, you can."

"Naw, I don't need stuff. Doubt she had anything I'd want, anyway." Cloud rubbed at Riku's shoulder before taking the box from him. "Are we about done with all of this? I thought you had to drop the keys to the other house tonight."

"Yeah, and Sora's gonna be calling cause he's starving."

Cloud shrugged. "Let's get to it, then."

-0-0-

Sora kicked his feet from his perch on the rail, hands braced to either side. He could barely hear the waves of the ocean from his house, but in the quiet of the night they seemed louder than usual. At Riku's house, they had always been present, the sound coinciding with the partial view of the water creating it. Riku had once commented that waves, no matter where they were, sounded the same. He was pretty sure it would be one of the important things Riku would miss.

"So, what's up?"

Though he was startled, he only laughed. "Didn't you already ask that?"

Leon stood beside him. "And you didn't answer."

Sora shrugged. "I have to make a decision in the next ten hours. A really big one."

The man lifted an eyebrow.

"Though, I'm pretty sure it's already made..." laughed the teenager. "I already started packing."

"Packing?"

"Yeah. Nothing serious, but it kinda kept me busy while thinking on it." Sora took a minute before continuing. "I talked to Riku...and Mom... We pretty much all came to the same conclusion. It's the same observation you made a few visits ago."

Leon allowed one soft chuckle. "I make a lot of those, Sora. You'll have to narrow it down."

"I don't really fit at home anymore. There's always something... I've gotten uncomfortable there. Maybe I'm not meant to stay in one place, I don't know, but I gotta make a change. And I think, the first step is leaving the Islands."

Leon was quiet.

Sora wasn't sure what that meant, so he continued. "I'm gonna leave here tomorrow with Riku. I'll start with Radiant Garden, cause like you said back then, I feel calmer there. I'm more relaxed and it's like I fit better... It's a place to start, at least."

"You think it's the best choice for you? It's a big step, and what about school? We've worked hard to get our school system to the best it can be, but I doubt it's anything similar to what you have here."

"...you trying to talk me out of it?"

Leon shook his head. "No, you need to do what your heart tells you, which you're good at. However, there's a lot more involved than that."

"I know," assured Sora. "And I wanna finish school, so Mom's gonna look into signing me up for satellite education next year. That's for people who, because of outside things like illness or family emergencies, need home schooling. They provide each quarter's syllabus and work which is due at the end of each quarter."

That would take care of that concern. It wouldn't be difficult to make four trips in the year; Sora and Riku would want to visit their friends that much anyway. "That would take care of one concern."

"Yeah, and really, that's been the biggest for me since talking to my mom about doing this. I'm worried about her, too, but I know she wants me to be happy and do what's best for me. And it's not like she's really being left alone. Kairi isn't leaving anytime soon, and Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie are here. She'll be okay."

"Sounds like your mind is made up."

"Yeah, pretty much." Sora agreed. "I've still got some munny, too. Hopefully, enough to get me started wherever."

Leon's laugh was loud. "Sora, you are aware you have at least five places on Radiant Garden to stay for however long you want."

"Well, sure, probably, but I don't want to rely on generosity for too long."

"Well, until you make other arrangements, you stay with me. Think of it as helping me maintain sanity until I get Cloud and Riku out."

"Oh, geeze, put that way I have to."

"Good."

Feeling better than he had in weeks, Sora slid off the rail. "Where's Riku and Cloud, anyway? I'm hungry. They better not be distracted somewhere."

"Let's start without them. All the food's here, anyway."

"Cool, let's get to it."

-0-0-

"Have fun getting all this in the boats." Kairi pulled her hair back into a clip. "I didn't realize yesterday how much you were taking."

"This isn't all mine," argued Riku, though he also was having doubts. Maybe they could save some for a second trip. "Cloud, come here."

Kairi looked at him in confusion. "Who's else is it?"

Nervous, because he hadn't told Kairi he had made up his mind, Sora rubbed the back of his head."Mine."

"Yours?" She repeated, stunned, but it passed quickly. Huffing, she put her hands on her hips. "And when were you planing to tell me you had decided, huh?"

"I hadn't made up my mind till last night! You had left already!"

"Oh, Sora, I'm not mad. Not much, at least." Kairi hugged him. She acted as if she knew he would make the choice he did; she likely had. "And I'll keep up with everyone here so you don't worry."

Sora had spent the night with his mother, talking and finishing with the packing of his few things he was taking. Seiya had been so strong and upbeat, but he knew better. She'd be hurting for awhile, lonely. When Kairi said everyone, Seiya was who meant the most. "Thanks, Kai."

"I am annoyed, though. A text last night would have been nice."

"I was with my mom last night! Me and Leon hung out with her while I got my stuff together." He rubbed the back of his head. "I kinda was fixed on all that."

Kairi huffed again, stepping back. "You owe me so much, Sora. Leaving me behind again for some grand adventure."

"I don't think I'd call it that..."

"Life is a series of grand adventures." Cloud passed them without so much as a look. "With luck, most aren't life threatening."

"Or involve the fate of the world somehow," added Leon from behind him.

"Uh...sure." Sora shared a look with Riku who shrugged.

Leon, beside Cloud, folded his arms. "Gonna need a bigger boat."

"If we get a third, we'll be fine. I'm more concerned with getting the boats back here."

Kairi studied a nail for a second. "My dad's boat is twice the size of ours. Just take it, and I'll get Wakka to help me get it back tonight."

Riku frowned. "He won't say anything if it's gone?"

"He probably won't notice, but I'll make sure he knows you have it."

Cloud shrugged. "Fair enough. We ready to load the sled, or do you need to quadruple check the boxes?"

"No." Riku nudged him roughly, Cloud catching his hand and kissing his knuckles. "I'm ready to close this place up and blow this joint."

"Yeah," agreed Sora, no longer nervous. Kairi would spread the word, and check in on his mom. His final concerns disappeared with that. He had made his goodbye to his mother this morning, taking the walk to Riku's to let the tears and sadness settle. "Let's do this."


End file.
